(photo by Eve Prime)
OK, not everybody is into Stephin Merritt. But is the Master Of Mope’s quoted distaste for much of contemporary hip-hop sufficient evidence with which to label him a racist?
That’s the question posed by Slate’s John Cook (thanks to Jesper for the link) in a provocative piece that brings another question to mind :
which of the following is more depressing :
a) putting any more weight in Mr. Merritt’s opinions about hip-hop than anyone else’s
b) the notion of someone “walking out in anger” during the EMP’s annual pop pundit circle jerk
c) the thought of attending said event.
d) all of the above.
I really think it will take a national convention of bloggers and music journalists who email and IM each other all day long to properly answer the above question. Hopefully with as much grandstanding as possible, regardless of who ends up smeared.
I can’t claim to know whether or not Mr. Merritt’s chihuahua is racist, but it seems as though Jessica Hopper (succinctly described by an occasional correspondent as “a publicist/promo-fanzine cunt”) is pretty accomplished when it comes to calling people out and getting her shit wrong.
i was at this keynote and could barely stay awake through it — like i had been transported back to my ninth grade algebra class.
i can only imagine what the bloggerati would have said if just1n moy3r was able to present his paper about trustfund indie rockers.
Maria,
It’s that kind of cavalier attitude about racism that’s making it harder and harder for some people to make a name for themselves. For shame!
I’ve already begun BBQ-ing any and all Magnetic Fields related items from my collection (including V;’s “1926” — sorry eBay!) because I cannot stand any association, however tenuous, with an artist whose personal aesthetic doesn’t pass my own highly aribtrary litmus test.
I heard a rumor that Bob Dylan thinks the new T.I. album is kinda overrated. I’d better get some more lighter fluid.
At least now I know why all my black friends left when I threw ’69 Love Songs’ on the stereo the other night.
Someone should also mention to her that Sun Ra did “Zippity Doo Dah”.
Brian,
clearly this Sun Ra fella is a racist. I’ll bet he even purchases products from American Apparel.
I have known Stephin and his equal-opportunity chihuahua for several years. I don’t think he’s a racist, and I think Hopper’s accusation was bizarre, hasty, ill-considered, and unfair.
However, that does not make it cool to call her a “publicist/promo fanzine cunt.” This is particularly ironic in a debate that has hinged on nuances of language and cultural bias. Check your own.
actually Chelsey, I didn’t call anyone a “publicist/promo fanzine cunt”. Someone else did, and the link is provided above.
You might characterize this as a debate about the nuances of language and cultural bias. I think it is a bit less complicated than that. Some folks have a funny habit of calling others out for offenses real or imagined, yet they can’t get their facts straight. After a while, you have to consider whether or not the source of the complaint has any credibility…along with wondering how much of their agenda is really about self-promo under the guise of being a social crusader.